A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a valve for directing flow to a work member and a fluid motor to control the operation of each.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Typical lawn mowers employed to mow areas such as golf greens include mower reels that are raised and lowered by a hydraulic operated work member such as a hydraulic cylinder. A valve directs pressurized fluid to the work member and to the motor turning the reels. In this manner, the valve operates to control the lifting of the reels off the ground and the rotation of the reel motor as the vehicle is propelled from one green to another. In addition, for safety reasons as the reels are being lowered or raised, the valve is actuated such that the motor is not operated.
In addition, it is also desirable that while the reels are in the lowered position to mow the green, the work member mechanism is in a "float" condition such that as the reels engage bumps or irregularities in the terrain, they may freely rise and fall or "float" with the terrain. Accordingly, the hydraulic fluid must be able to flow to and from the work member.
Prior art valves employed to control the fluid to the work member and the reel motor use complex mechanisms including several components. Furthermore, complicated porting including several valve elements are necessary to provide the floating effect.